mckean



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES P. MCKEAN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

FASTENER FOR WINDOW BLINDS AND SHUTTERS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 2,085, dated April 24, 1841.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JAMES P. MGKEAN, of thecity of lVashington, District of Columbia, have invented a new anduseful Machine for Fastening lVindow-Shutters, which I style theSelf-Acting lll/window- Fastener, and I do hereby declare that thefollowin G' is full, clear, and exact description of the constructionand operation of the saine, reference being had to the annexed drawings,making a part of this specification.l in which- Figure l, is an insideview of the fastener; F ig. 2, an outside view of the same, attached toa shutter &c.; Fig. 3, is a catch to be driven into the side of thehouse; Fig. 4, shows the bottom rail of a shutter as prepared to receivethe fastener.

The self acting window fastener should be made of a plate of thinmet-al, the length of which will be regulated by the width of theshutter, to allow it to lap onto the stiles, and of such width as toallow full action to the part hereafter described and to lap onto therail for securing it by screws or otherwise. To this plate, connect by arivet the bar B Fig. 1. This bar to be about a by -1- and one inchshorter than the rail of the shutter; on one end of which put a thumbscrew, passing'through a slit in the plate at C, with its head on theopposite side, and on the other end bolt D, secured to the bar, by ascrew, allowing` it to move freely.

Fig. i3, The catch to be made of a piece of metal one end for driving,or otherwise, to be connected to the side of the house. The other endmust be beveled, as shown by G for raising the bolt D. lVith a hole Ffor it to drop into.

E represents shoulders when it is to be y driven into the side of thehouse.

The catch must be adjusted to the house so that the bolt will drop intothe hole F when the shut-ter is back to the side of the house. On thewindow sill, if for a double shutter make two holes, faced with thinstrips of metal, to prevent the bolt for wearing it, to receive the boltwhen the shutters are closed. See K, Fig. 2.

The bot-tom rail of the shutter must be grooved its whole length, asshown by H Fig. et, and deep enough to admit the bar and bolt of thefastener giving them room for a free action; and from the bottom of therail, make a hole I to enter the groove, that the bolt D, may dropthrough it freely.

The operation of the self acting window fastener is that t-he bar beingconnected to the plate, is shown in Fig. l, it becomes a self actinglever by the weight of the bolt, which will always cause it to dropbelow the bottoni of the shutter the length of which will beregulated-accordingly) and when the shutter is thrown back to the sideof the house, the bolt will rise on the bevel edge of the cat'ch anddrop into the hole, and secure the shutter. W hen it is desired tounfasten the shutters, press down the thumb screw which will raise thebolt out of the catch, and in closing the shutter, a similar operationis performed by the bolt raising on the window sill and dropping intothe holes, before described, thereby securing the shutters.

The fastener will answer for either side shutter, as the bolt D, Fig. l,can be moved around for this purpose, and should it be necessary input-ting the fastener on unscrew. the bolt from the bar and pass it upthrough the hole in the bottom of the rail, and again fasten it to thebar.

It is intended that the side of the plate having the bar on it beinserted into the groove made in` the bottom rail, thereby se# curing itfrom injury and giving a neater appearance, as the fastener when on t-heshutter can be painted with it.

wllhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The entire construction of the self acting window fastener viz., theself acting power of the bar or lever, with the bolt and thumb screwattached to it, together with the catch, and the application of thewhole to fasten window shutters when open or closed.

JAMES P. MCKEAN.

lVitnesses CLEMT. T. Coors, ALEXANDER LEE.

